Harehills murder accused appears in court over the stabbing of Deneiko Ferguson

Charged with murder, 31-year-old Alga Lutondo, of Berkeley Crescent, Harehills, made a brief appearance at Leeds Magistrates’ Court this morning, February 22, where the case was formally sent to Leeds Crown Court.

Remanded into custody, he will appear before the crown court this Friday, February 24.

Mr Ferguson, aged 27, was found with stab wounds in Compton Road, Harehills, shortly after 3am on Wednesday, February 15. Despite medical treatment, he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Two other men, aged 28 and 35, who were arrested on suspicion of murder, and a 33-year-old woman, who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, have been released on bail.

A senior investigating officer said the police had “followed a number of lines of inquiry” and that CCTV from the area had been combed through to identify individuals who were in the Harehills Lane and Compton Road area around the time of the killing.

In the wake of Daneiko’s murder, police were granted additional stop and search powers in order to keep communities safe and reassure local residents. Officers patrolling the area made three arrests for drug-related offences during the first evening that the extra powers were in place. A weapon and drugs were also recovered from local searches.

The Section 60 powers give police officers the ability to search people or vehicles for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments without them having to have their usual grounds to suspect each person searched.